I had the privilege of attending an amazing workshop on Monday with author and researcher Jane Kise. It was a part of our Elmhurst D205 Professional Learning Strand initiative where teachers get to pick one topic and delve deeply into it throughout the year. Her presentation was part of the Teacher Leadership cohort, but could
During my five years as a coach in Naperville, we implemented at least 15 new initiatives, maybe more. So it makes sense that I was frequently asked, “What’s the right way to do this?” or similarly, “Am I doing it right?” Questions of this variety reflect our desire as educators to do our best. Many
I recently read this article from the Atlantic titled, Elementary Education Has Gone Terribly Wrong. It’s an interesting read for a variety of reasons, but what stood out to me was the plethora of evidence that confirms what many of us have known for decades: the standardized testing movement simply doesn’t work. Despite our efforts to
This post is mostly a reminder to myself, but if you are an educator like me you might appreciate this message as well. It’s that time of summer when “Back to School” ads seem to start popping up almost everywhere. When I was a teacher this signaled the time when I started thinking more heavily
Busy. Busy. Busy. That one word has permeated my vocabulary since I took over as interim principal a few months ago at Emerson Elementary School. I’m not just talking about myself. With state and district testing, about a million end of the year activities as well as normal teaching responsibilities I’ve watched my staff and
Every morning I have about a thirty-minute commute to work from my home in Wheaton. Most mornings my routine is pretty similar. After giving Alexandra a big hug and a kiss (sometimes 4 or 5 depending on what mood she’s in), I hop in my car, order my morning coffee and listen to whatever music
Curious. When you have a moment to yourself throughout the day, (driving in the car, running on the treadmill, when the sun is rising and you’re just waking up) what does your mind go to? In the past, it’s been anything from how can I get ALL of my students excited about reading to imagining
Audio version of this post. I’ll admit it. When I go to parties I can’t help myself. As much as I try to avoid it, I inevitably talk about education. Especially if there’s beer. One good IPA will get me waxing poetic about my vision of education for pretty much the entire night. I’ve
I’ve had a lot of great conversations since starting this blog about teaching and coaching and how the two are intertwined. Two of the questions that have come up a lot are How do you ACTUALLY teach like a coach? What does that look like in real practice? This has gotten me to reflect about my
If you were to ask me why I got into education I would tell you a simple fact: I LOVE working with students. Seeing their eyes light up when they learn something new. Building on their strengths. Showing them they can achieve ANYTHING. Except when I really think about it, I don’t know that ALL
